


Sunsets

by ManaBanana



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 15:21:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17347625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManaBanana/pseuds/ManaBanana
Summary: Lee takes Gaara out on a date... but he forgot to tell him it was a date.Through nervousness, opposite personalities, and the inability to express teenage emotions, Gaara and Lee try to figure each other out.





	Sunsets

**Author's Note:**

> I spent a stupid amount of time on this.
> 
> Some of this was inspired by a story two of my friends told me about their first date together.
> 
> I really wanted to portray them around 13-14 because something about Lee being inexperienced with dating, but trying so hard to make it work was inexplicably funny to me.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It was late afternoon. Gaara and Lee walked along the upward slope of a cliffside in Konoha, which proved to be more difficult than Gaara had anticipated. Given his abilities and the surrounding terrain, he was much less adapted to the amount of exercise Lee could do--especially since the desert he was used to was mostly flat.

“Almost there!” Lee shouted excitedly.

“This is… a lot harder… than I thought it'd be,” Gaara panted.

“You can do it! I believe in you!” Lee shouted, jumping around with energy Gaara couldn't even begin to imagine.

Gaara misstepped on an unstable part of the ground and stumbled forward. His protective sand began to form a cloud to break his fall, but it quickly dissipated. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing himself for the impact, but felt warmth around him. He opened his eyes and saw green. He looked up and realized Lee had caught him.

“Oh, gosh, are you alright? That could have been very painful,” Lee said, helping Gaara regain his balance.

“I still can't believe you're faster than the sand.” Gaara dusted himself off, embarrassed that he fell in front of Lee. Not only was this their first time out in an informal setting, but he had already made himself look foolish.

Gaara looked back at Lee, who was blushing furiously.

“Um…” Lee still had a hand on Gaara's arm. Gaara saw him glance at it and shove it behind his back. He felt his stomach sink, but wasn't sure why. Lee turned around and leaned forward. His voice cracked when he spoke. “I can carry you the rest of the way.”

Gaara felt his face grow hot.

“I mean, only if you want--it is not like you… I mean--” Lee cut himself off and went silent.

Gaara thought for a moment. On one hand, he could carry himself with the sand, but he didn't want to tire himself out more. But on the other, he didn't want to look weak in front of Lee by struggling on foot. Gaara realized he had waited too long to seem like he was thinking over a genuine response. He thought about saying something, but with each passing second, felt he was taking too long. His heart started racing and his palms gathered sweat.

“It may also help me with training to add some extra weight.” Lee tensed immediately. “Not that you are extra weight! I did not mean it like that!”

Gaara blinked. He was relieved that Lee gave him another opportunity to reply. Maybe Lee was anxious, too. Or nervous? He wasn't sure. “No, you're fine. I'd like that. Thank you.”

Gaara placed his hands on Lee's shoulders. It had been awhile since he last had a piggyback ride. Sometimes Kankuro would offer them to Gaara when they were much younger, but he'd since abandoned them just to spite him. He hopped onto his back a little clumsily. Lee hooked his arms under Gaara's knees and adjusted him until they were both comfortable.

“Is that okay?” Lee asked.

“Mhm,” Gaara said, letting his arms hang over Lee's shoulders.

“Okay! Then we will keep going!” Lee said, beginning to walk forward.

Gaara realized how close he and Lee were, suddenly feeling hyper aware of his chest flush against Lee's back. He inhaled, taking in Lee's scent, his face growing even hotter.

“The view up ahead is worth the travel!” Lee said. He carried Gaara like it was nothing, traversing as he might normally. “You are very light.”

“Oh… yeah,” Gaara said. He'd never been too keen on his size. Despite having grown in the last year of so, Gaara was disheartened to learn he was still one of the smallest shinobi.

“That is good! It can make training much easier sometimes. Especially for building upper body strength.”

“You talk about training a lot. You must really enjoy it,” Gaara said.

“Oh, absolutely! Morning, noon, and night, I train all the time. My sensei--Gai-sensei, he, um… he really encourages it. He always motivates me to challenge myself. I look up to him a lot,” Lee explained.

Gaara made a sound of understanding. He went silent, feeling a pang in his chest at the parental bond he remembered Lee having with his teacher. But he let it pass.

“Are you ready?” Lee asked. “The view is up ahead. I really cannot wait for you to see it!”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Then it is time to exit the bus!” Lee leaned forward. It took Gaara a second before he realized what Lee said was code for I'm putting you back down. He stepped down carefully and pulled at the hem of his shirt that had ridden up a bit. He looked up and caught Lee staring at him.

“... Hello,” Gaara said.

“Ah! Hello!” Lee bowed toward Gaara quickly and turned around as a reddish tint began to creep onto his face. “Um… over here!”

Gaara followed Lee, who was heading toward the cliffside. They stood next to each other at the edge and Gaara looked over. He saw the whole village down below with a beautiful terrain like he had never seen before. He searched all around in silence and noticed the sun starting to dip down on the horizon.

“Do you like it…?” Lee asked quietly.

Gaara turned to Lee, who was looking at him expectantly. For someone so excited to see the view from the outlook, he didn't seem to be taking very much of it in. Gaara nodded and offered a soft smile to him.

“It's almost sunset,” he said.

“... Yes. I was hoping we could… watch it together,” Lee played with his bandaged hands to distract himself.

“Oh.”

“Um, Gaara…” Lee bowed toward Gaara again, stiff as a board. “Perhaps I should have made it more clear before we made this journey all the way out here, but I would like to ask you to please join me on a proper date! Will you accept?”

Gaara felt his heart flutter. No one had ever asked him on a date before. Did Lee actually like him that way?

“... Okay,” was all Gaara could muster.

Lee looked up, eyes wide. “R-really?”

Gaara nodded, unsure of what to do. He supposed Lee was a nice enough guy. He liked being around him, even though he was kind of weird.

“Thank you, Gaara!” Lee straightened up. “Now, if I may… um…”

Lee fished something out of his holster and faced away from Gaara to hide it. He muttered something under his breath, which Gaara thought sounded like instructions.

“Are those note cards?”

“It is nothing!” Lee said, turning back and quickly shoving what were clearly note cards back into the holster. He spoke quickly. “Gaara! If I may offer you my arm, I would like to show you my village!”

Lee stuck an elbow out toward Gaara. He realized Lee was feeling nervous and felt the sudden urge to be the bolder of the two. He took Lee's arm, but it felt unnatural.

“I accept, but I'm not taking your arm,” Gaara said, feeling Lee tense up. He straightened Lee's arm out and trailed down his forearm until he reached his palm. He slid his hand into Lee's, careful not to interlock their fingers. He remembered something Temari said about interlocked fingers having a “convoluted meaning” and didn't want to make Lee more nervous. He took in the sight of the village down below.

“Thatisfinebyme!” Lee said quickly, face beet red.

Gaara felt his heart beating fast. He never really understood the point of holding hands, but it was actually kind of nice. Lee's hands were strong and a bit rough, but he liked the contrast against his own, which were soft and unscathed.

“Okay! So. That over there is the Hokage office. You can see all of the Hokage faces up on the mountainside over there, see? And that over there is the academy where we all became Genin…” 

Lee continued pointing locations out, but Gaara found it difficult to pay attention. He knew Lee was excited to show him the village and could hear the excitement in his voice. But when he glanced up and saw Lee's face practically beaming, he could only focus on him. He wondered how he could have become friends with someone like this. Someone who was the polar opposite of him.

“... anything else you would like to see?” Lee asked, bringing Gaara back to the present. They looked at each other quietly. The sky was changing around them, giving the entirety of Konoha an orange wash.

“Just the sunset,” Gaara said.

Lee nodded and led Gaara farther from the cliffside to sit down underneath a nearby tree. Gaara felt warmth fade from his palm, almost forgetting that they were holding hands. 

They sat next to each other, their shoulders barely grazing as they looked out toward the setting sun. Gaara noticed Lee out of the corner of his eye not-so-slyly inching his hand toward his.

“Did you… want to hold hands again?” Gaara asked.

Lee tensed up. He picked at some of the grass next to him. “If that is okay with you.”

Gaara offered his hand, which Lee took before it was completely out. They gave each other small smiles and looked back out at the sky. Gaara hadn't really paid attention to sunsets when he stayed in Konoha for the Chunin exams, but the contrast between the sky and all the greenery was much different than all the sand he was used to.

He felt Lee's thumb rub across his own, making his heart sink. He squeezed Lee's hand back and felt him stiffen at the contact. Gaara turned his head toward Lee, who was already staring back. Had the sun not washed over Lee's face, Gaara could have sworn he was blushing.

Lee moved his face slightly closer to Gaara's, but pulled away just as fast. Gaara squinted at him, searching his face to gather what he was silently feeling. Well, now this was a date, so maybe… Lee was trying to kiss him?

Lee looked back out into the sunset, which was almost completely down. He turned to face Gaara again. With the lighting, the quiet, and their hands clasped together, Gaara thought maybe he was ready. He'd never done it before, but there was a first time for everything.

“Do you…” he started. He felt like it was weird to ask. “Do you want to kiss me?”

Lee's eyes grew wide. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out for a moment.

“... Yes.”

“Then why haven't you done it yet?” Gaara said. He saw Lee wince. It didn't sound as harsh in his head.

“O-oh! Um… I am not sure,” Lee said.

He placed his hands on either side of Gaara's arms. He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned in. Gaara was taken aback by how hard Lee had shut his eyes. It looked the way someone might try to kiss something gross if they were on a dare. He continued watching as Lee pushed his lips to his clumsily and smashed their noses together. This could not possibly qualify as a kiss. Their lips were certainly touching, but nothing was really… happening. Lee pulled away and searched Gaara's face for a reaction.

… That was it? Gaara realized his brow was furrowed and quickly undid it so Lee wouldn't be offended. He offered a small smile. Lee pressed his lips into a thin line and looked Gaara in the eyes.

“I am going to be completely honest with you,” Lee said without breaking eye contact, “I have no idea what I am doing.”

Gaara blinked at Lee and suddenly burst out laughing, to his and Lee's surprise. He clasped his hands over his mouth quickly. Even he wasn't used to the sound of his own laughter. Lee's eyes widened.

“Sorry, it's not you. I just... thought what you said was really funny,” Gaara said, lowering his hands. It was awkward. But it was... nice? Sure, it was imperfect and Lee was a nervous wreck, but he made Gaara feel comfortable.

“Oh! Okay,” Lee laughed nervously.

“I think we should try again,” Gaara started, “I wasn't helping much... I think I forgot to close my eyes.”

“For the, um… the kiss?” Lee still had his hands on Gaara's arms. His nervousness seemed to only allow him to focus on one thing at a time.

“Yeah. Can I touch your face?” he asked.

Lee nodded. Gaara reached for Lee's face and cupped his cheeks, which burned in his hands.

“I think we're supposed to turn our heads to the sides,” Gaara said. He thought he had seen that before. Both of them leaned toward the same side. 

“Ahh, sorry!”

They both leaned in the other way, still on the same side. Gaara huffed impatiently. They both hesitated for a moment, waiting for the other to move first.

“Wait. Just. I'll come to you.” Gaara decided to take the lead and pushed his face to Lee's. He kissed him quickly, and realized he wasn't very good at it either. He tried again, but didn't expect Lee to lean in, too. They hit the corners of each other's mouths. Gaara pulled Lee's face even closer for stability and they moved in for another kiss that actually felt kind of nice.

It wasn't long before they got the hang of it. The two synched together nicely and once they found a nice groove, they were able to relax into each other. Gaara felt Lee finally move his hands to hold him closer. They continued kissing lightly--both too afraid to open their mouths or do anything too advanced. Lee made a small sound that made Gaara open his eyes.

Lee pulled away, panting. Gaara realized he was also out of breath.

“I think I stopped breathing,” Lee said.

“Me, too.” He felt dizzy. It was kind of exciting.

The two looked around, both riddled with anxiety and adrenaline. Gaara looked up at the sky. Apparently they missed the rest of the sunset. It was getting dark. They didn't speak for a few seconds.

“Kissing is weird,” Gaara said.

Lee's face fell. “I am not very good at it.”

“That's not true. I just mean…” Gaara trailed off. “The action is weird. It's… I mean, why do people do it? Y'know?”

What?

“It is strange,” Lee agreed. “I am sorry I made it weird for you.”

“You apologize a lot,” Gaara stated. “It's fine, really… I liked it.”

“You did?”

“... Yeah. I did,” Gaara faced Lee, who looked like he was about to cry. Gaara wasn't sure how to handle it. “Please don't do that.”

Lee blinked away the oncoming tears. “Okay.”

“It's fine, really. I think you just need more practice. We. We both do,” Gaara said, trying to choose his words carefully, but ultimately failing to do so. “With each other.”

“You would kiss me again?” Lee asked.

“Yes!” Gaara said, frustrated that he wasn't getting the picture. He smirked and pushed Lee's arm playfully. “... stupid…”

Lee smiled and scooted closer. All Gaara could feel was heat radiating from his body.

“You're really warm. Are you sick?”

“No,” Lee squeaked. He paused for a moment. “I am just scared.”

“Scared of what?” Gaara asked. What could he possibly be afraid of? The dark?

Lee struggled to answer, but their closeness made it difficult to lie. “... You.”

Gaara felt his heart shatter. Didn't they just kiss? Weren't they on a date? He was trying so hard to be better--what was he doing wrong? He had been feared by everyone for so long, he really wanted to make genuine bonds with other people. But even Lee, this boy, who was filled to the brim with love and affection, was afraid of him.

When Gaara spoke again, it was practically a whisper. “Why?”

“Because,” Lee swallowed hard. “I find you incredibly beautiful. And I am afraid I may disappoint you.”

Gaara was blushing now. “You won't… You can't.”

Lee froze.

“I have a lot to learn from you. You actually inspire me a lot. You make me feel good about myself. That isn't very easy to do.”

He took Lee's hand and rested his head against his shoulder.

“I'm glad I came out here today. I'm glad we're on a date. I really appreciate you,” Gaara said.

It was silent aside from the light breeze that rustled the leaves in the tree above them. Gaara felt Lee's shoulder shaking and lifted his head to look at him. He saw something sparkle down Lee's cheek in what remained of the light.

Lee was crying, quietly at first. But once Gaara pulled away, he fell apart, letting out a choked sob that made him double over.

“Rock Lee.” Gaara was concerned. After so many years alone, he never prepared himself to deal with other people's tears. But he wanted to help.

“I am so sorry,” Lee cried.

“You don't have to apologize,” Gaara said. He squeezed Lee's hand. “Do you… need a moment?”

Lee shook his head violently. He smiled as best he could through the tears that streamed down his face. “Thank you, Gaara. Your words mean a lot to me.”

They smiled at each other.

“It's getting dark. Do you want to head home?” Gaara asked.

Lee nodded.

They stood up, hands still clasped together. Gaara loosened his grip and decided to interlock their fingers as they started down the path. 

“Maybe I'll carry you this time.” Gaara said.

Lee threw his head back as he laughed. Gaara smiled at the sound.


End file.
